Saturday, April 20, 2013

This Onion article* has it right. This week is yet another time where my country has been put through the wringer. Boston, my future town, in fear and upheaval. A city-wide lockdown. Rumors flying around, unsubstantiated claims. Talking to twenty sixth-graders about current events has proven the existence of mob mentality, has been the face of the vulture media, desperate to feed on the flesh of sensationalism. Might sound like overkill, but the amount of enjoyment these kids get out of telling a story that their uncle told them where this dark-skinned, accented guy was seen walking on rooftops and was taken into custody, well. That kind of makes me ill.

And it's not just the kids. It's the journalism this morning, the masses of people hankering for sound clips from estranged uncles and random classmates, touting high school students (who willingly say that they didn't know the suspects well!) as "friends of the suspects." Networks bringing in terrorism experts--experts who, to their credit, have been trying to diffuse any shocking Al Qaeda and jihadist claims--just so that they can dedicate hours to discussing this intense Islamic plot. It's more than depressing, it's frustrating.

Add that on top of events like the explosion at Waco, and the failure of the Senate to vote on gun control (not so much a because of the legislation not passing [even though come on], but because it exhibited the extent of our corrupt government, especially when you factor in quotes like this one from Richard Feldman), and you could say my faith in this nation has been shaken. Suddenly, this world isn't a complex sphere full of sorrow and happiness, it's just a straight up scary place.

So yeah. I spent most of this week feeling sad, and then indescribably angry, and now I'm just exhausted.

Just like the first article said, this week is done. I'm done.

As a collective, can we agree to sit on the couch, cry, and watch happy videos until the world goes away?

Sounds good to me.

*Incredibly strong language. Be ye warned, sensitive souls. But if you like, the Onion has rocked it with their coverage this week. Find all the Boston articles HERE.

Monday, April 15, 2013

My birthday is coming up. Not just any birthday. My GOLDEN birthday. The one where I turn 24 on the 24th. And maybe it's the youngest child in me, but I'm excited for it. I love occasion. I completely relish feeling special. Maybe that's childish, and maybe it shows a lack of humility, but dang-it-all, it's my birthday! If not now, when? When else is there an excuse for circumstance and pomp? Especially on this, the one and only Golden Birthday!

So, just in case you feel inclined to celebrate in the joy with me, here are some things to spark gift-giving inspiration. I'll just leave this here:

This took me a while, and I'm inordinately proud of it. I should take a class to be artsy and design-y.

6- YOU. I don't care if it's letters, cards, Facebook messages, carrier pigeons, whatever-it-is, I want to hear from you. Since moving to Seattle I've learned to value friendships on a deeper level. And I'm trying to be a better friend, and to show those people that I care. Because guess what? I know a ton of incredible people. And often, I miss them (by the way, those people? It's you. It's definitely you). I've carved out a great little niche here in Seattle, and I'm optimistic for Boston, but that doesn't mean I sometimes ache with all the missing of my gangs, roomies, crews and pals. My homies, if you will. With everything going on right now, and today in particular, I just want to hold you close, hold those magical connections near and dear. And while these books and musics have been bouncing around in my head for a while, what would really make my Golden Birthday super golden is hearing from the people I love.